New extradosed bridge over Kelani River centre-closed

11 Jul 2021

New extradosed bridge over Kelani River centre-closed

11 Jul 2021

Chief Government Whip and Highways Minister Johnston Fernando centre-closed the new extradosed bridge over the Kelani River on Saturday (10). The new Kelani Bridge employs the extradosed engineering design, which uses stay-cables to connect two main pylons with the bridge deck, and to share weight of the loads from the bridge deck. The centre-closure of the extra dozed bridge marks the conclusion of the concrete casting of the new bridge. With the opening of the new Kelani Bridge, the Colombo-Katunayake Expressway would connect the capital to the country’s main international airport with a six-lane road, and further link the elevated highway to Athurugiriya and Port Elevated Highway to the Port City. The new bridge is 380 m long and has been constructed in two phases – the first phase covering the steel construction of the bridge has cost Rs. 31,539 million, while cost of the second phase of casting concrete deck of the bridge is Rs. 9,896 million. Addressing the ceremony, Minister Fernando said: “It was in 2014 that then-President Mahinda Rajapaksa, in his capacity as Minister of Highways, initiated the New Kelani Bridge project and signed the plans and the approval. In his recent address to the nation, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa said that we would complete this project soon. After that, the former Highways Minister of the Yahapalana Government said that it was a project that had been commenced by their Government. “The truth is that the highest number of mega development projects in this country had been commenced under the visionary leadership of President Mahinda Rajapaksa. He deserves credit for that. There is no use in others trying to get credit for that, because people know the truth. I still remember how President Mahinda Rajapaksa started the Outer Circle Highway Project. Later, the ministers of the Yahapalana Government tried to get credit for that and were planning to open a section of it, but a woman braved going there and opened it herself.” He added that the new Kelani Bridge would be completed within three months. “We are going to complete the work of this new Kelani Bridge within three months and hope that it could be commissioned in the first week of September. At a time when the entire world is engulfed by the Covid-19 pandemic, engineers of Japan and this country with other officials rendered a yeoman service to make this project a success. They took an enormous risk by doing so. Our grateful nation will never forget their dedication, and in the years to come people will talk of their dedication. “We would not suspend any development project because of difficulties or the pandemic. One of the biggest mistakes committed by the Yahapalana Government was trying to take credit for development projects initiated by President Mahinda Rajapaksa. They suspended some projects citing various reasons because they had no capacity nor calibre to carry on such mega development projects that had been envisioned for the use of the people for the next century. The first such project that they had stopped was the Port City Development project. This project too had been delayed citing various reasons. Otherwise this would have been completed by this time, and people would have been using this bridge.” He said that the Government is working with many nations other than China. “Some Opposition members blame us and say that we can work only with China. We work not only with China, but also with Japan and the UK. We are working with many nations other than China, and this bridge came into being with the assistance of Japanese engineering technology, as an example of that. Various countries have come forward to assist our development process and invest here. Those who criticise us have only the single objective of sabotaging our work. People will not fall for their trap. “We are a Government that will not hesitate to act for the sake of the development of this country. We are not afraid of critics. We are not afraid of opposition tactics. None with an iota of intelligence would participate in protests or lead their people to protests at a time like this, knowing to expose them to the pandemic. Unfortunately, we have Opposition politicians who do so. Those who predicted that at least one or two thousand people would die here of Covid-19 finally got infected. We call on them not to put the lives of people in harm’s way to achieve their political objectives. They will never be able to escape from the curse of using people as catspaws to cover up their political bankruptcy.” Also speaking at the event, State Minister for Rural Roads and Other Infrastructure Nimal Lansa said that this bridge will save time spent on the road by motorists. “The construction of this bridge, which will be the first cable-hanging bridge in Sri Lanka, will reduce traffic congestion for a long time. This place is connected to the Colombo Port City, the administrative city of the Battaramulla area, the Katunayake International Airport, and other expressway networks. “Once this is vested in the public, people entering and leaving Colombo will be able to save a lot of time. Pollution is also being greatly reduced. This bridge has been constructed using new technology and new methods. I would like to thank the Government of Japan for its contribution to the construction of this bridge using the latest technology and methods. “The construction of this bridge was affected by the Easter attack as well as the Covid pandemic. But we were able to do this successfully. This was facilitated by the involvement of a collective process from the lower-level employees to the Japanese Government. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, and Minister of Finance Basil Rajapaksa await the speedy completion of this project. “The Japan International Co-operation Agency has been assisting our country for 35 years. The Government of Japan is very helpful, especially in providing loans. We unequivocally accept that. During my tenure as Negombo Mayor, they greatly assisted us in the development of Negombo, including the Negombo market. Japan and Sri Lanka have developed a very good friendship.” Among those present at the event were Rural Roads and Other Infrastructure State Minister Nimal Lanza, Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA) Sri Lanka Chief Representative Yamada Tetsuya, Ministry of Highways Secretary R.W.R. Pemasiri, State Ministry of Rural Roads and Other Infrastructure Secretary Prof. Ranjtih Dissanayake, Road Development Authority (RDA) Chairman Chaminda Athuluwage, RDA Working Director Chaminda Basnayake, RDA Director General Sardha Weerakoon, Project Director Darshika Jayasekera, and other officials.

Kapruka

Discover Kapruka, the leading online shopping platform in Sri Lanka, where you can conveniently send Gifts and Flowers to your loved ones for any event. Explore a wide range of popular Shopping Categories on Kapruka, including Toys, Groceries, Electronics, Birthday Cakes, Fruits, Chocolates, Automobile, Mother and Baby Products, Clothing, and Fashion. Additionally, Kapruka offers unique online services like Money Remittance, Astrology, Medicine Delivery, and access to over 700 Top Brands. Also If you’re interested in selling with Kapruka, Partner Central by Kapruka is the best solution to start with. Moreover, through Kapruka Global Shop, you can also enjoy the convenience of purchasing products from renowned platforms like Amazon and eBay and have them delivered to Sri Lanka.Send love straight to their heart this Valentine's with our thoughtful gifts!

New extradosed bridge over Kelani River centre-closed

New extradosed bridge over Kelani River centre-closed

More News..